10 Reasons Why Some People Are Always Unmotivated

Robert Locke MBE is a health enthusiast specializing in relationships, life improvement, ADHD, parenting, mental health, and children's literature. Full Bio

How many times have you said to yourself that you’re going to do something, but you end up not following through with it because you weren’t motivated enough? You end up crossing that workout, call to a friend, study session, or shopping trip off your To-Do List without even completing the task.How many times have you said to yourself that you’re going to do something, but you end up not following through with it because you weren’t motivated enough? You end up crossing that workout, call to a friend, study session, or shopping trip off your To-Do List without even completing the task.

Here are 10 reasons why this happens. Remember, you are not alone. Millions of other people are also unmotivated. We will look at ways of reversing this trend so you can end up motivated.

1. They only see the bad side in anything that happens.

Usually, unmotivated individuals have a terribly pessimistic view on their chances of success.

Psychologists have labelled this as having a low level of self-efficacy, which is the innate ability to influence the outcome of a project or venture. There are lots of myths about how to fix this, such as writing down your goals and simply visualizing success. The latter is unproductive as it wastes a lot of energy on daydreaming!

The secret to staying motivated is to honestly audit your skills, and the challenges that lie ahead. Sometimes a difficult goal is useful in spurring a person on to do better. We persist because the challenge is personally rewarding.

2. They forget the benefits and rewards.

Most unmotivated people get distracted by a daunting challenge. They think of the blood, sweat and tears that face them in achieving a task or objective. They forget to think of the long-term rewards and benefits, which is an essential element in motivation.

3. They set themselves unrealistic goals.

In the business world, having stretch goals is often advocated as the path to success since it will increase motivation. Researchers and psychologists have recently found that this is actually false. Demotivation may set in because the problems are just too complex and unnerving.

A much better approach is to break down projects into smaller challenges, where one can see results in a much shorter space of time. This compartmentalization will give much more motivation, encouraging the individual to see a project through to the end.

4. They do not know about mini habits.

There’s a great book I love Stephen Guise’s called Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results. The concept is a simple one to help with demotivation. The idea is to start with one mini habit at a time and gradually progress. This could be walking up a flight of stairs a day, eating one less doughnut, or writing a paragraph – if you have writer’s block. The idea is to leverage the power of personal habits in reaching lifestyle goals.

5. They do not seize opportunities.

Have you noticed how demotivated people often tell you that they never got a lucky break? The truth is that they never sought out opportunities that would give them the chance of success, wealth and happiness. The secret is that opportunities are out there, just waiting to be taken. They are not simply given to you on a silver plate.

6. They are unwilling to work harder.

The tendency is to consider the payoff before making all that effort. They want immediate gratification before persisting and persevering. Access to the Internet at work will distract them further. One study has found that unmotivated employees are probably the majority (of the 64%) who waste time on Social Media at work.

7. They often play the blame game.

It is always somebody else’s fault when they did not get that promotion. It’s not their fault that the marriage ended on the rocks. It was their partner’s fault, of course. The fact is that you cannot control what other people do or the way they think. Recognizing that it was mostly your fault will help you analyze what went wrong, helping you avoid that pitfall the next time. Once you have done that, you will be better motivated to move on.

8. They don’t know how to use their time wisely.

Unmotivated people tend to be time-wasters. They cannot schedule very efficiently. There are lots of ways of managing time better. Time is elastic. Stretch it so that you can get more out of it. Once you conquer the time management problem, you will become more motivated because you can praise yourself for achieving what most people find really difficult. Taking credit for your achievements is a great way to stay motivated.

The best way to stay motivated, regarding time, is to repeat to yourself that you are the only one who can control your time. Nobody or nothing else can do that for you.

9. They don’t believe that they are talented.

When people think of all the talents and creativity they lack, they block themselves off. Demotivation takes hold. However, when they concentrate on the actual skills, talents and qualities they possess, they become much more motivated. Negative thoughts will drag you downwards, in a horrible spiral. Positive thoughts help you soar above the crowd.

10. They rely on social media.

We mentioned the negative fact that people waste time on Social Media, but there are also positive benefits. People can feel connected, even in a superficial way. That said, research on students’ use of this media has pointed up some negatives, such as a loss of motivation. This is exacerbated by the fact that there is a reduction in creativity, less practice in writing skills, and an increase in multi-tasking. All these factors have contributed to lower grades and poor academic performance. This may be one reason why many students become demotivated.

Everybody is prone to being less motivated by the appearance or success of others, flaunting their status on Facebook. As the image so vividly illustrates, maturity comes when you stop posting every detail of your life on Facebook or Instagram. .

One of the best ways to stay in the motivated fast lane is to prepare for obstacles and setbacks before they even occur. This is one of the best ways of fighting back the demotivation inferno.

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Let us know in the comments why you become demotivated and how you cope with it.